Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu was on Wednesday convicted by a Jodhpur court for raping a minor girl at his ashram here in Rajasthan in 2013 and sentenced to a life term. Two other co-accused in the case, also convicted today, were given 20 years each in jail. The judgment was pronounced by Special Judge for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe cases, Madhu Sudan Sharma, inside the Jodhpur Central Jail, where Asaram Bapu is lodged.
Earlier in the day, while pronouncing the verdict inside the Jodhpur central jail amid tight security, the court had held Asaram guilty of assaulting and outraging the modesty of a 16-year-old woman, who, at the time of the incident, was a student at one of Asaram's ashrams in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh. The incident allegedly took place on the night of August 15, 2013, at another Asaram ashram in Manai area near Jodhpur.
Asaram conviction: The 77-year-old godman was convicted under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act. Two co-accused were also convicted in the case. The police chargesheet against Asaram Bapu and four other co-accused Shiva, Shilpi, Sharad and Prakash was filed on November 6, 2013, under the Pocso Act, the Juvenile Justice Act and the IPC. Informed sources said the court also convicted Shilpi (warden of Asaram's ashram) and Sharad, while Shiva and Prakash were acquitted in the case.
Asaram Bapu is facing trial in another sexual assault case in Gujarat.
The final arguments in the case were completed in the Jodhpur court on April 7, which reserved the order for Wednesday. The kin of the Delhi gang-rape victim Nirbhaya welcomed the life imprisonment awarded to self-styled godman Asaram in a rape case.
"Asaram is a demon under the garb of sadhu...We are also feeling relieved after the Jodhpur court verdict," Nirbhaya's grandfather said.
Here are the top 10 developments and things to know in the Asaram rape case verdict to be delivered in Jodhpur today:
1) Asaram to spend all his life in jail: Asaram was on Wednesday sentenced to life imprisonment until death by the Jodhpur SC/ST court in the rape case in which he was convicted earlier in the day, news agencies reported. The other co-accused, Shilpi and Sharad, were handed a 20-year jail term each.
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Asaraam sentenced to life imprisonment by Jodhpur Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Court in a rape case. pic.twitter.com/JevsnIXquL
2:33 PM - Apr 25, 2018
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Rest of the two accused Shilpi & Sharad sentenced to 20 years each in jail by Jodhpur Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Court in a rape case. #AsaramCaseVerdict
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2) Asaram's journey from humble hut to Rs 100-bn empire: Asaram, having created an empire of Rs 100 billion (Rs 10,000 crore) within four decades, can give top businessmen a run for their money. He started from a humble hut on the banks of the Sabarmati river in the early 1970s and ended up building over 400 ashrams across the country and the world by the time of his downfall.
The scrutiny of documents seized by the police from Asaram's ashram in Ahmedabad's Motera area following his arrest in the rape case in 2013 had revealed that he had amassed a wealth of around Rs 100 billion (Rs 10,000 crore), excluding the market value of the vast tract of lands he holds.
According to a short documentary available on his official website, Asaram was born in 1941 as Asumal Sirumalani in Berani village of the Sind province, now in Pakistan. After the partition in 1947, Asumal came to Ahmedabad with his parents and studied only until the fourth standard at a school in the Maninagar area, as he was forced to leave his studies after the death of his father Thaumal.
After doing some odd jobs during his early youth, Asumal embarked on a "spiritual quest" towards the Himalayas, where he met his Guru, Lilashah Bapu, the documentary claimed. It was this spiritual teacher who gave him the name 'Asaram' in 1964 and "commanded him to carve his own path and guide people".
Asaram came to Ahmedabad in the early 1970s and started doing penance on the banks of the Sabarmati, near the Motera area. His journey as a self-styled spiritual leader and godman started in 1972, when he set up the 'Moksha Kutir', a humble hut, on the banks of the river. Over the years, his popularity as 'Sant Asaramji Bapu' started gaining currency and that 'humble hut' was converted into a full-fledged Ashram.
Within a span of four decades, he added around 400 ashrams in India and abroad.
Even today, the Motera Ashram is flocked by followers, who are still in denial and maintain that their 'guru' has been jailed on false charges.
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"A man is known by the company he keeps" - Aesop's fables #AsaramVerdict
12:44 PM - Apr 25, 2018
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3) Victim's father wants justice for murdered and kidnapped witnesses too: Speaking to news agencies after the verdict, the father of the rape survivor said, "Asaram is convicted, we have got justice. I want to thank everyone who supported us in this fight." Further, he said that witnesses in the case who were murdered or kidnapped should also get justice.
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Asaram is convicted, we have got justice. I want to thank everyone who supported us in this fight. Now I hope he will get strict punishment. I also hope the witnesses who were murdered or kidnapped get justice: Father of Shahjahanpur victim #AsaramCaseVerdict
10:55 AM - Apr 25, 2018
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Asaram rape case victim provided security: Security was also stepped up around the victim's house in Shahajahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. "The security for the victim's family is continuously being monitored... Two more constables will stand guard outside her house in addition to the five policemen already deployed there, and a strict vigil is being maintained on all the visitors using CCTV cameras," Superintendent of Police K B Singh told news agencies.
ALSO READ: Asaram verdict: Security stepped up around victim's house
4) Asaram to consult legal team, says has 'faith in judiciary': After the verdict, Asaram's spokesperson Neelam Dubey told news agencies that they would hold discussions with their legal team and then "decide our future course of action". Dubey added, "We have confidence in our judiciary."
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We will discuss with our legal team and then decide our future course of action. We have confidence in our judiciary: Neelam Dubey,Asaram spokesperson on Asaram convicted
10:46 AM - Apr 25, 2018
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Jodhpur SC/ST Court convicts Asaram in 2013 rape case: The Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court on Wednesday convicted self-styled godman Asaram, as well as three of the five co-accused, in the 2013 rape case where a 16-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh's Shahjehanpur had allegedly been raped. On April 7, the Jodhpur SC/ST Court had completed its hearing in the Asaram rape case. The verdict comes nearly five years after rape charges were levelled against the self-styled godman.
Asaram could get 10 years in jail: Asaram could be jailed for a minimum of 10 years or awarded a maximum life term, according to prosecution lawyers. The charge-sheet against Asaram and four other co-accused was filed by the police under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012, Juvenile Justice Act, and IPC.
ALSO READ: Asaram rape case: All you need to know ahead of verdict
Asaram rape case verdict delivered inside Central Jail in Jodhpur: Apprehending trouble from thousands of Asaram's followers and to avoid a repeat of the Dera Sacha Sauda incident -- there were incidents of violence in Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh after a special court in Mohali last year convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case -- the Jodhpur court pronounced its verdict in the Asaram rape case inside the premises of the Central Jail in Jodhpur. Considering an appeal from the Jodhpur Police Commissioner, a Division Bench of the Rajasthan High Court ordered the trial court to deliver its verdict inside the jail premises. The Division Bench comprising Justice Gopal K Vyas and Justice Ram Chandra Singh Jhala also issued guidelines to the Jodhpur Police Commissioner and the District Magistrate and Collector to ensure law and order in the city.
ALSO READ: Asaram verdict: Security beefed up in 3 states, media entry banned
5) Centre asks Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana to beef up security ahead of the Asaram verdict: The Centre on Tuesday asked the Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana governments to tighten security and deploy additional forces ahead of the Asaram rape case verdict today. These three states have a large number of followers of the 77-year-old self-styled godman. In a communication, the Union Home Ministry told the three states to beef up security and ensure that no violence took place after the judgment. The three states were also told to deploy additional forces at sensitive places, a home ministry official said.
The ministry is in touch with the states concerned and Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba has spoken to top-level administrative and police officials over the issue.
Superintendent of Police K B Singh said a vigil was also being kept outside Asaram's ashram at Rudrapur in Uttarakhand.
ALSO READ: Tight security in Jodhpur ahead of verdict in Asaram case
6) Delhi Police on high alert: The police believe that the national capital might also see tensions boiling over, given the adverse judgment in the Asaram case. The Delhi Police had on Tuesday said that it was on high alert. According to a senior police official, the department was keeping a close watch on Delhi's boundaries and inside city areas where Asaram's supporters could gather after the judgment. "We are in touch with police forces from neighbouring states to avert any untoward incident. Senior officers from districts and SHOs of police stations concerned have been directed to keep a watch in their respective areas," he said.
ALSO READ: Rajasthan HC tightens security ahead of Asaram rape case verdict
7) Security was beefed up, Section 144 enforced in Jodhpur ahead of Asaram rape case verdict: Since Monday, security has been tightened in Jodhpur. Jodhpur Police Commissioner Ashok Rathore told news agencies that Section 144 had been enforced in the city. "We are glad the court accepted our request to deliver the judgment from inside the jail premises," he added.
"We have imposed section 144 of CrPC in the city from April 21 and it would remain effective till April 30. Besides this, we have been keeping a sharp eye on Asaram's ashrams and checking all hotels and guest houses, as well as the bus and railway stations," DCP (East) Aman Deep Singh said in Jodhpur.
ALSO READ: Verdict against Asaram to be pronounced in jail to avoid violence in Rajasthan
8) Verdict comes after 12 failed bail applications: Asaram unsuccessfully moved 12 bail applications. Of these, six were rejected by the trial court, three by the Rajasthan High Court, and three by the Supreme Court.
9) Asaram also facing a rape case in Surat: Asaram is also facing a rape case in Gujarat, where two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against the self-styled godman and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape.
Regarding the Gujarat case, the Supreme Court earlier this month gave five weeks' time to the prosecution to complete the trial.
ALSO READ: Asaram rape case: SC pulls up Gujarat Police for slow trial
10) Detailed timeline of the Asaram rape case:
a) Asaram was arrested on the complaint filed by a teenage girl from Shahajahanpur alleging the self-styled godman raped her at his ashram in Manai area near Jodhpur on the night of August 15, 2013.
b) Subsequently, Asaram was arrested from Indore and brought to Jodhpur on September 1, 2013. He has been under judicial custody since September 2, 2013.
c) A charge-sheet against Asaram and the four other co-accused had been filed by police on November 6, 2013.
d) The trial of the case had begun in the district and session court on March 19, 2017, which had been shifted to the special court for SC/ST cases on December 16, 2016.
e) The Jodhpur SC/ST Court on April 7 completed its hearing in the rape case against Asaram.
f) On April 17, the court had decided to pronounce the verdict against self-styled godman in the rape case in Jodhpur Central Jail to avoid any law and order situation in the state.
g) The Jodhpur SC/ST court on April 25 convicted Asaram and three of the co-accused in the case.
Earlier in the day, while pronouncing the verdict inside the Jodhpur central jail amid tight security, the court had held Asaram guilty of assaulting and outraging the modesty of a 16-year-old woman, who, at the time of the incident, was a student at one of Asaram's ashrams in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh. The incident allegedly took place on the night of August 15, 2013, at another Asaram ashram in Manai area near Jodhpur.
Asaram conviction: The 77-year-old godman was convicted under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act. Two co-accused were also convicted in the case. The police chargesheet against Asaram Bapu and four other co-accused Shiva, Shilpi, Sharad and Prakash was filed on November 6, 2013, under the Pocso Act, the Juvenile Justice Act and the IPC. Informed sources said the court also convicted Shilpi (warden of Asaram's ashram) and Sharad, while Shiva and Prakash were acquitted in the case.
Asaram Bapu is facing trial in another sexual assault case in Gujarat.
The final arguments in the case were completed in the Jodhpur court on April 7, which reserved the order for Wednesday. The kin of the Delhi gang-rape victim Nirbhaya welcomed the life imprisonment awarded to self-styled godman Asaram in a rape case.
"Asaram is a demon under the garb of sadhu...We are also feeling relieved after the Jodhpur court verdict," Nirbhaya's grandfather said.
Here are the top 10 developments and things to know in the Asaram rape case verdict to be delivered in Jodhpur today:
1) Asaram to spend all his life in jail: Asaram was on Wednesday sentenced to life imprisonment until death by the Jodhpur SC/ST court in the rape case in which he was convicted earlier in the day, news agencies reported. The other co-accused, Shilpi and Sharad, were handed a 20-year jail term each.
ANI
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Asaraam sentenced to life imprisonment by Jodhpur Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Court in a rape case. pic.twitter.com/JevsnIXquL
2:33 PM - Apr 25, 2018
258
194 people are talking about this
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ANI
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Replying to @ANI
Rest of the two accused Shilpi & Sharad sentenced to 20 years each in jail by Jodhpur Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Court in a rape case. #AsaramCaseVerdict
2:35 PM - Apr 25, 2018
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2) Asaram's journey from humble hut to Rs 100-bn empire: Asaram, having created an empire of Rs 100 billion (Rs 10,000 crore) within four decades, can give top businessmen a run for their money. He started from a humble hut on the banks of the Sabarmati river in the early 1970s and ended up building over 400 ashrams across the country and the world by the time of his downfall.
The scrutiny of documents seized by the police from Asaram's ashram in Ahmedabad's Motera area following his arrest in the rape case in 2013 had revealed that he had amassed a wealth of around Rs 100 billion (Rs 10,000 crore), excluding the market value of the vast tract of lands he holds.
According to a short documentary available on his official website, Asaram was born in 1941 as Asumal Sirumalani in Berani village of the Sind province, now in Pakistan. After the partition in 1947, Asumal came to Ahmedabad with his parents and studied only until the fourth standard at a school in the Maninagar area, as he was forced to leave his studies after the death of his father Thaumal.
After doing some odd jobs during his early youth, Asumal embarked on a "spiritual quest" towards the Himalayas, where he met his Guru, Lilashah Bapu, the documentary claimed. It was this spiritual teacher who gave him the name 'Asaram' in 1964 and "commanded him to carve his own path and guide people".
Asaram came to Ahmedabad in the early 1970s and started doing penance on the banks of the Sabarmati, near the Motera area. His journey as a self-styled spiritual leader and godman started in 1972, when he set up the 'Moksha Kutir', a humble hut, on the banks of the river. Over the years, his popularity as 'Sant Asaramji Bapu' started gaining currency and that 'humble hut' was converted into a full-fledged Ashram.
Within a span of four decades, he added around 400 ashrams in India and abroad.
Even today, the Motera Ashram is flocked by followers, who are still in denial and maintain that their 'guru' has been jailed on false charges.
Congress
✔
@INCIndia
"A man is known by the company he keeps" - Aesop's fables #AsaramVerdict
12:44 PM - Apr 25, 2018
3,309
2,878 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
3) Victim's father wants justice for murdered and kidnapped witnesses too: Speaking to news agencies after the verdict, the father of the rape survivor said, "Asaram is convicted, we have got justice. I want to thank everyone who supported us in this fight." Further, he said that witnesses in the case who were murdered or kidnapped should also get justice.
View image on Twitter
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ANI
✔
@ANI
Asaram is convicted, we have got justice. I want to thank everyone who supported us in this fight. Now I hope he will get strict punishment. I also hope the witnesses who were murdered or kidnapped get justice: Father of Shahjahanpur victim #AsaramCaseVerdict
10:55 AM - Apr 25, 2018
450
223 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Asaram rape case victim provided security: Security was also stepped up around the victim's house in Shahajahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. "The security for the victim's family is continuously being monitored... Two more constables will stand guard outside her house in addition to the five policemen already deployed there, and a strict vigil is being maintained on all the visitors using CCTV cameras," Superintendent of Police K B Singh told news agencies.
ALSO READ: Asaram verdict: Security stepped up around victim's house
4) Asaram to consult legal team, says has 'faith in judiciary': After the verdict, Asaram's spokesperson Neelam Dubey told news agencies that they would hold discussions with their legal team and then "decide our future course of action". Dubey added, "We have confidence in our judiciary."
View image on Twitter
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ANI
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@ANI
We will discuss with our legal team and then decide our future course of action. We have confidence in our judiciary: Neelam Dubey,Asaram spokesperson on Asaram convicted
10:46 AM - Apr 25, 2018
61
39 people are talking about this
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Jodhpur SC/ST Court convicts Asaram in 2013 rape case: The Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court on Wednesday convicted self-styled godman Asaram, as well as three of the five co-accused, in the 2013 rape case where a 16-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh's Shahjehanpur had allegedly been raped. On April 7, the Jodhpur SC/ST Court had completed its hearing in the Asaram rape case. The verdict comes nearly five years after rape charges were levelled against the self-styled godman.
Asaram could get 10 years in jail: Asaram could be jailed for a minimum of 10 years or awarded a maximum life term, according to prosecution lawyers. The charge-sheet against Asaram and four other co-accused was filed by the police under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012, Juvenile Justice Act, and IPC.
ALSO READ: Asaram rape case: All you need to know ahead of verdict
Asaram rape case verdict delivered inside Central Jail in Jodhpur: Apprehending trouble from thousands of Asaram's followers and to avoid a repeat of the Dera Sacha Sauda incident -- there were incidents of violence in Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh after a special court in Mohali last year convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case -- the Jodhpur court pronounced its verdict in the Asaram rape case inside the premises of the Central Jail in Jodhpur. Considering an appeal from the Jodhpur Police Commissioner, a Division Bench of the Rajasthan High Court ordered the trial court to deliver its verdict inside the jail premises. The Division Bench comprising Justice Gopal K Vyas and Justice Ram Chandra Singh Jhala also issued guidelines to the Jodhpur Police Commissioner and the District Magistrate and Collector to ensure law and order in the city.
ALSO READ: Asaram verdict: Security beefed up in 3 states, media entry banned
5) Centre asks Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana to beef up security ahead of the Asaram verdict: The Centre on Tuesday asked the Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana governments to tighten security and deploy additional forces ahead of the Asaram rape case verdict today. These three states have a large number of followers of the 77-year-old self-styled godman. In a communication, the Union Home Ministry told the three states to beef up security and ensure that no violence took place after the judgment. The three states were also told to deploy additional forces at sensitive places, a home ministry official said.
The ministry is in touch with the states concerned and Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba has spoken to top-level administrative and police officials over the issue.
Superintendent of Police K B Singh said a vigil was also being kept outside Asaram's ashram at Rudrapur in Uttarakhand.
ALSO READ: Tight security in Jodhpur ahead of verdict in Asaram case
6) Delhi Police on high alert: The police believe that the national capital might also see tensions boiling over, given the adverse judgment in the Asaram case. The Delhi Police had on Tuesday said that it was on high alert. According to a senior police official, the department was keeping a close watch on Delhi's boundaries and inside city areas where Asaram's supporters could gather after the judgment. "We are in touch with police forces from neighbouring states to avert any untoward incident. Senior officers from districts and SHOs of police stations concerned have been directed to keep a watch in their respective areas," he said.
ALSO READ: Rajasthan HC tightens security ahead of Asaram rape case verdict
7) Security was beefed up, Section 144 enforced in Jodhpur ahead of Asaram rape case verdict: Since Monday, security has been tightened in Jodhpur. Jodhpur Police Commissioner Ashok Rathore told news agencies that Section 144 had been enforced in the city. "We are glad the court accepted our request to deliver the judgment from inside the jail premises," he added.
"We have imposed section 144 of CrPC in the city from April 21 and it would remain effective till April 30. Besides this, we have been keeping a sharp eye on Asaram's ashrams and checking all hotels and guest houses, as well as the bus and railway stations," DCP (East) Aman Deep Singh said in Jodhpur.
ALSO READ: Verdict against Asaram to be pronounced in jail to avoid violence in Rajasthan
8) Verdict comes after 12 failed bail applications: Asaram unsuccessfully moved 12 bail applications. Of these, six were rejected by the trial court, three by the Rajasthan High Court, and three by the Supreme Court.
9) Asaram also facing a rape case in Surat: Asaram is also facing a rape case in Gujarat, where two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against the self-styled godman and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape.
Regarding the Gujarat case, the Supreme Court earlier this month gave five weeks' time to the prosecution to complete the trial.
ALSO READ: Asaram rape case: SC pulls up Gujarat Police for slow trial
10) Detailed timeline of the Asaram rape case:
a) Asaram was arrested on the complaint filed by a teenage girl from Shahajahanpur alleging the self-styled godman raped her at his ashram in Manai area near Jodhpur on the night of August 15, 2013.
b) Subsequently, Asaram was arrested from Indore and brought to Jodhpur on September 1, 2013. He has been under judicial custody since September 2, 2013.
c) A charge-sheet against Asaram and the four other co-accused had been filed by police on November 6, 2013.
d) The trial of the case had begun in the district and session court on March 19, 2017, which had been shifted to the special court for SC/ST cases on December 16, 2016.
e) The Jodhpur SC/ST Court on April 7 completed its hearing in the rape case against Asaram.
f) On April 17, the court had decided to pronounce the verdict against self-styled godman in the rape case in Jodhpur Central Jail to avoid any law and order situation in the state.
g) The Jodhpur SC/ST court on April 25 convicted Asaram and three of the co-accused in the case.
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